–Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, and Steve McMichael are doing commentary and they are live from Chicago, Illinois. All of the announcers are sporting custom Chicago Bears jerseys, with Bischoff shockingly not wearing an old McMahon jersey to send another shot across the WWF’s bow. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, 8,500 fans showed up to the Rosemont Horizon, with 4,458 paying for tickets.
–Heenan says that the Giant has been issued a restraining order and is outside of the arena, barred from coming in this evening.
–United States Champion Sting promises to solve the problem between Randy Savage and Lex Luger.
–Opening Contest for the United States Championship: Sting (31-2) beats the Shark (3-1) after a flying body press at 1:16:
The Shark is billed from “Tsunami” as if that makes any sense. His tights are also gaudier, with lime and blood lettering saying “Shark Attack” and multicolored sharks littered all over the lower half of them. Sting has already beaten the Shark three times this year and after eating a powerslam, the Stinger hits a few Stinger Splashes and a flying body press to retain the U.S. title.
–Sabu (1-1) defeats Mr. J.L. via submission to a Camel clutch at 4:25:
Mr. J.L. is Jerry Lynn, a light heavyweight star in the Dallas-based Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) in the early 1990s who had a series of awesome matches with Sean Waltman, who wrestled in the GWF as the Lightning Kid. After wrestling in Japan and Mexico, Lynn was signed by WCW for its cruiserweight division. He received no vignettes prior to his debut tonight, always a bad sign for a new talent. This is a fun blitz match, with lots of crazy moves featured. Sabu also hits all of his spots, which takes the match up a few notches. Sabu crashes onto J.L. with Air Sabu on the floor and follows in the ring with a springboard moonsault. J.L. fights back by perching Sabu on the top rope and DDT’ing him. However, Sabu powerbombs J.L. when he dives at him and applies a quick Camel clutch to go over. Rating: ***¼
–After the match, Sabu delivers a sunset flip powerbomb to J.L. off the apron and cameras cut away before he can put J.L. through a table.
–Gene Okerlund moderates a discussion between Randy Savage, Lex Luger, and Sting. Sting suggests that Savage and Luger face each other at Halloween Havoc if they get past Meng and Kamala. Savage is down with that plan, but Luger must be talked into it.
–Chris Benoit is shown getting out of a limo in a suit, heralded as a big Japanese star by Bischoff.
–The Disco Inferno comes out to dance, even sporting his own boombox. He is not scheduled to appear, so he dances by the entrance as Big Bubba Rogers and Road Warrior Hawk make their way to the ring. Disco is not a fan of Hawk and he steals a fan’s hat and puts it on Hawk’s rubber spikes during the Road Warrior’s entrance. That is a weak way to get heel heat.
–Big Bubba Rogers (27-9-1) defeats Road Warrior Hawk (4-0-1) via count out at 1:38:
Hawk is over huge because this is Chicago, but the match is about angle advancement as the Disco Inferno hops on the ring apron and dances, leading to Hawk destroying his shirt. Hawk beats up Disco in the aisle and gets counted out.
–WCW Champion Hulk Hogan appears with Jimmy Hart. Hogan is wearing all black, including sunglasses, and he is showered with boos except for a few kids wearing yellow Hogan gear. Okerlund covers for the boos by saying that the crowd does not like his new look. Hogan tells fans that the games are over, and he takes a shot at Vince McMahon, saying that he is choking on his own ego. Hogan tells Okerlund that he wants to face the Giant immediately and he likens the shaving of his mustache to the defacing of the American flag. As if that is not crazy enough, he then promises to use his immortality after beating the Giant at Halloween Havoc to go to heaven and beat Gorgeous George too.
–The camera cuts outside where high comedy ensues as the Zodiac is perched through the sunroof of the Dungeon of Doom monster truck and the truck is speeding to the arena, chased by police. The Giant is driving, and Kevin Sullivan is in the passenger seat and as cops detain them, Hogan races back to the locker room.
–Police come and tell Bischoff that they are keeping Hogan and the Giant apart.
–Steel Cage Match: Arn Anderson (23-12-2) beats Ric Flair (17-3) after hitting him with a foreign object at 4:29:
The fans in Chicago want blood, but they do not get it in this rushed cage match between Anderson and Flair. Each man uses the cage to mount some offense and Brian Pillman tries to interfere late, with Flair knocking him off the top of the cage and to the floor. After doing that, Flair goes to apply the figure-four but Anderson hits him with a foreign object for the win. Rating: **
–After the match, Flair comes to the booth and rips off Bischoff’s headset. Flair challenges Anderson and Pillman to a handicap match on the next Monday Nitro.
–Tune in next week to see Ric Flair face Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman in a handicap match! Also, Television Champion Diamond Dallas Pages defends against Johnny B. Badd, Chris Benoit faces Eddy Guerrero, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan collides with Meng!
The Last Word: As the match times attest, this was a very rushed show as WCW tried to pack a ton of angle advancement and matches into a one-hour show. Using Chicago to debut a newly styled Hulk Hogan character was not a bad idea because the company knew he was going to get booed so they might as well take a chance on a more edgy gimmick for him. Brian Pillman is quickly getting lost in the shuffle of the Ric Flair-Arn Anderson feud, though, coming off as an inadequate heel sidekick.
Monday Night War Rating: 2.6 (vs. 2.6 for RAW – Owen Hart, the British Bulldog & Yokozuna vs. Diesel, Shawn Michaels & the Undertaker)
Up Next: WCW Pro for October 13!